Podcasts · Live in Tokyo with Max D. Capo
Ep. 33 | My Life in Japan as a Mixed Race J-POP Singer ft. Angela Aki
· 58 min · Episode 33
Episode Ep. 33 | My Life in Japan as a Mixed Race J-POP Singer ft. Angela Aki
Episode #33 of the “Live in Tokyo” PodcastAngela Aki is a Japanese-American singer-songwriter born and raised in Tokushima, Japan, known for her powerful piano-driven ballads and deeply personal lyrics. After spending a decade fighting to break into Japan's music industry as a mixed-race artist, she became one of the country's most beloved performers, with songs like 「手紙」 becoming generational anthems. In 2014 she stepped away from her career to study musical theater composition in the United States, and has recently returned with her new album Shadow Work, a deeply personal body of work born from five years of therapy and self-discovery.
NEW ALBUM [SHADOW WORK]
https://open.spotify.com/album/2IdM3we2u6vwMQpeETtHPi
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• https://www.instagram.com/angelaaki_official
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Time Stamps
(0:00) Intro
(1:07) Live in Tokyo Podcast welcome
(2:18) Introducing Angela Aki and cultural significance
(5:44) Max discovering Angela (Half Japanese artist) in 2006
(6:40) Growing up mixed in rural Tokushima
(10:25) Moving from Japan to Hawaii
(11:22) Struggles and trauma being Mixed in Japan
(13:15) Angela's move to America
(15:05) "Wasian" and mixed Asian identity in 2026
(17:22) Do Japanese people think Angela is a foreigner?
(20:57) Living "outside-in" & chasing worth instead of self worth
(22:23) Being rejected by 14 Japanese record labels before her career
(26:24) Recognized as being "Japanese" left an empty feeling
(30:11) Starting therapy & shadow work
(34:21) Hitting rock bottom
(37:09) Breaking generational trauma
(38:35) Falling out of love and back in love with her old music
(41:46) Becoming one face in the crowd
(44:02) Why vulnerable conversations matter
(47:52) Spreading music with love attitude
(50:14) The struggle was Angela's greatest teacher
(52:05) About album "Shadow Work" & "Forgiveness"
(55:26) Closing: will Angela make a new Anime opening/ending theme song?
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